According to Sid Kennard, life in Newnham in the early decades
of the 20th Century has not changed for virtually 100 years. According to Sid Kennard, life in Newnham in the early decades
of the 20th Century has not changed for virtually 100 years.
Looking at some of the old photographs of Newnham village (featured on pages of this website), Sid was able to share his memories of life in the village during his childhood. He was able to identify some of the characters featured in the photographs, as well as provide some more insights into village life in the late 1920s and 1930s.
"The post office was originally next to The George pub, then moved to Penham Stores, run by George Curd - a bow-legged man who wore a bowler hat and was responsible for winding the church clock."
Sid remembered that there used to be a machine selling cigarettes and chewing gum outside the shop and that the later post office was run by two spinsters, one of whom was called Miss Day.
Sid also remembered the garage opposite the post office and the buses to Faversham and Lenham which passed regularly through the village. Sid's father was a Kent County Council links-man, responsible for ensuring the entire stretch of road from the top of Wichling Hill to the bottom of Wrens Hill was kept clear of obstruction and in good condition, all done manually. Some job!
The photograph of the post office also prompted Sid to reveal that he was born in one of them, next to a passageway running on to The Street. He remembered when street lighting came in the late-1930s, one of the lamps was directly outside his bedroom window.
"It was made of cast iron and every morning on their way to school, boys used to kick it as they went past. It rang like a bell."
What wonderful memories of a life long disappeared, Sid.